When I Met Dixie
by greasergurlwonder
Summary: After Johnny died, Ponyboy felt worthless. That is until he meets Nichole Clarkson, a girl with a dark past. Will she change Ponyboy's view on life? Dally is still alive. Pairings: PonyboyOC, Dally OC, OCOC
1. The Lost Girl

**CHAPTER 1: THE LOST GIRL**

When you you've seen as many deaths as I have, you go through a state of shock. You go through a state of depression. This can make everything harder for you. It makes school harder. It makes sleep harder. Hell, it makes breathing harder. I've seen and been through a total of two deaths in the past month, and a total of four in my entire life.

Lately, life has been very hard for me. I haven't been eating much at all. After I wrote that composition for English class, all of those emotions I felt hit me hard. I had the same feeling I had when my parents died. Sometimes I feel as though life doesn't matter enough to keep moving forward. I no longer have my parents. The group is falling apart without Johnny.

We no longer have Dally with us. Johnny's death was to hard for him, so he ran off. I haven't seen him sense the night Johnny died. I think Dally took it harder than the rest of us. Don't get me wrong, we all took it bad, but Johnny was the only person Dally truly loved.

I feel as though it was my fault that Johnny died. All I know is that Johnny died a hero, and his last words to me were words that I will always hold in my heart.

"Stay gold Ponyboy," he said.

After that he took his last breath. Dally was yelling at him to wake up, but I stayed silent. I had no words. It should have been me who had died. Johnny deserved life more than anyone. He should have been the one to live.

Darry and Sodapop tell me that it wasn't my fault and that I shouldn't feel bad, but I still feel guilty. I still feel like hell.

I look outside my bedroom window, thinking. The stars are so bright. They make me think of Johnny. They are small, but they a bright just like him. I hear Sodapop's soft snore, and it calms me. I close my eyes and drift to sleep.

* * *

School was out, and I could not be happier! I wouldn't have to worry about work for three months. There was a down side to this though. This meant that I had more time to think, and the more time I had to think, the more time I would be depressed.

I start walking t the gas station where Soda and Steve work. Pulling out a cigarette, I stop to light it with a match I had in my pocket. I start to walk again to the gas station.

When I got there, it was packed. _As usual_ I thought. Walking up to the counter in the gas station, I see Soda. He is talking to a girl i had never seen before.

"Hey Soda," I say awkwardly, "who's this?" Soda looks from the girl to me.

"Well hey there Pony!" he greets loudly, "This is Jane Storm. She moved to the neighborhood yesterday."

I look down to the girl. She is short with long, wavy dark brown hair. She had dark brown eyes and tan skin. She wore a white tank top with a pink leather jacket. Finishing it off with pink short shorts and pink converse.

"Hey there," she winks. She seemed nice. I give her a warm grin.

"Hi." Soda smiles at me.

"So Pony, what's it like to not be a freshman, and being in school anymore?" he asks. I honestly don't want to answer that question. I'm not looking forward to having to think about things, and not being able to have school or track to distract me.

"You're going to be a sophomore? Why you sure look young to be in high school," she states. If I've heard it once, I've herd it a million times.

"Yea! Ponyboy here skipped a grade. He has a high IQ, but he sure doesn't use his head!" Soda laughs. I glare at him while Jane giggles.

"Aw shut up will ya!" I mumble.

Soda slaps my back," Oh come on Pony! We're just messin' with ya."

"Yea, yea," I once again mumble. Jane looks amused.

"So Ponyboy, what do you plan on doing this summer?" she asks. I look around the room to come up with an answer.

"I guess I'll just hang out with friends." That was a lame answer. She smiles politely.

"That sure does sounds like fun!" Soda looks at me with a worried look on his face. He knew that I was going to think about last month a lot. He came to my rescue by changing the subject.

"Well, Jane here is apart of our group now! Isn't that great Pony?" he asked.

I smiled, "Welcome to the greasers Jane." I held out my hand and she shook it.

"Thanks Ponyboy!"

After she shook my hand, she looked down at her watch, "Well I better go. Nice talking to you Sodapop! See ya Pony!"

"Bye!" Soda and I said in unison.

Soda looked at me, "She sure is pretty ain't she Pony?" I thought for a minute.

"Yea." She wasn't really my type though. Plus she was seventeen.

"I'm gonna go on home Soda," I said.

"Okay, just be careful Ponyboy. You remember the last time you walked home alone?" I cringed at the memory of me walking home from the movies that day, and getting jumped by those socs.

"Yea, yea. I'll be fine don't worry," I said as I walked out the door.

As I walked home I heard a whimper from the woods I was walking by. It was definitely a feminine whimper. Me being curious, I walked into the woods and looked around. I don't see anything until something catches my eye. I see a dirty neon green t- shirt peeking out from behind a tree. It's a girl who is behind the tree.

"Hello?" I ask. I see the girl tense.

"Go away! Please! I don't want to get hurt again!" she sobs. My eyes widen.

"I'm not gonna hurt you." At this point she is on the ground. She sobs for a few more seconds, and then she speaks.

"You're not?"

"Of course not," She finally comes out from behind the tree. I wince as I see her.

She is covered in bruises and cuts. She is holding her arm and has a black eye. She looks like she hadn't eaten in months. She had bags under her eyes too. She must have not slept for days. I come closer to her, but she starts to shake with fear.

"My name is Ponyboy, and I'm not gonna hurt you. I just wanna help," I explain.

She finally stands up and looks up at me. Her legs start to shake and she starts to fall. Luckily, I was fast and caught her. Her condition looked worse now that she was in my arms.

"I'm gonna take you to my house, so you can rest. Okay? I ask. She squeezes her eyes shut and nods quickly.

I walk swiftly so I can ask Darry for help. I make sure that I am holding her so I won't hurt her. We make our way through the neighborhood. I see people staring at her. For some reason I get a very protective feeling over her.

When I reach the steps, I see Darry inside the house from the window. I knock on the door slightly due to the girl I am holding. Darry opens it and his eyes widened.

"Ponyboy, why-" I cut him off.

"I don't have time for questions! She needs help!" Darry agrees to let us in.

"Lay her on the couch," he directed. I did what I was told, and but her down. "Ponyboy, go get some band aids and some ice."

I ran frantically to the ice box and then to the bathroom. Returning to the living room, I see the girl is now looking at Darry with wide eyes.

"Where's Ponyboy!" she yelled.

I run over to her and stroke her hair, "I'm right here. It's alright. This is my brother Darry, and he's gonna help you." She starts to calm down. Darry gives me a serious look. I think we both had the same idea. This girl was hurt by a man in some way. This must be why she is so scared of men at the moment. I get angry at the thought of a man touching her.

After Darry attended to her injuries, and gave her a sling for her arm. He helps her sit up, and stares at her for a moment. I can see she is very uncomfortable.

"I'm gonna ask you some questions, alright?" Darry asks.

She nods in agreement.

"First tell me, What is your name?"

"Nichole Clarkson," she says in a soft voice. She looks to me and I give her a smile of sympathy.

Darry continues, "Why were you all by yourself in the woods?" She looks down at her lap.

"I- I ran away."

"Why did you run away?" Tears start to run down her face.

"Because," she pauses, "because I was raped."

* * *

 **Chapter 1 completed! I hope yu guys enjoy this story! I worked so hard on it. New cHapters will be coming soon! Please favorite and review!:-)**


	2. The Arrival

**CHAPTER 2: The Arrival**

 **Jasmine POV:**

Ah relationships! You see them everywhere. You see them in school, out of school. They're just great, but their not great for me. Why you ask? Because I've never been in one. I'm sixteen for crying out loud! Why hasn't love come to me yet? Oh that's right! It's because all of the guys at school a jerks!

I walk down the sidewalk when I hear a high pitched squeal fill my ears. It's my best friend Jane Storm. She and I had met in Virginia, but then I had to move. After her mom lost a lot of money she moved here too. I was thrilled to have her here in Oklahoma.

"Hey D.J.!" she yelled. D.J. is my greaser name.

I look down at her "Hey Lollipop."

Let me just give you a little back story. When I moved here from Virginia, I was lost. My family was poor, and we had a very small amount of money. Because we were so broke, it caused depression for the whole family. I couldn't stand being in that house anymore, so I needed some friends. That's when I met the greasers. They took me in as their own.

"So I met Ponyboy for the first time," she said.

I rolled my eyes, "Don't tell me you're in love with him."

She laughed, "No! He's way to young for me."

"Only by two years," I chuckle.

"He's cute, but not my type. He deserves a girl who is his age," she explained. I understood.

"Yea you're right," I pause, "Did he seem okay when you met him?"

She looked down,"He seemed sorta, I don't know, distant. Then again I just met him."

I shrugged, wanting to change the subject," Walk with me."

We started walking down the sidewalk to the Curtis house. That's where we all hung out, because their house was bigger than the rest of ours. Suddenly we were stopped by a blue mustang. It was the Socs. Jane tensed. We had told her that we needed to watch out for them. One of the Socs opened the window of the car.

"Hey Randy! We got ourselves a couple of cute _greaser girls!_ WHat do you think we should do with 'em?"

"Leave us alone!" Jane ordered. I cringed and elbowed her trying to get her to shut up. They got out one by one. I stood there trying not to cry my eyes out.

One of them grabbed Jane's arm,"Ooo! We got a feisty on here don't we?"

Jane yanked free, and we both started running. We ran as fast as we could, but the other Socs were too fast. The next thing I knew, I was being grabbed by the waist and thrown to the ground. Randy got on top of me and held me down. I could smell the alcohol in his breath. I looked to my right and saw the other soc on top of Jane.

Randy pulled out a switch blade from his back pocket. Then he glided the back of it against my face. Tears started to roll down my face.

"Aw she's cryin'. Well we'll just have to shut her up!" he was about to punch me until two arms grabbed Randy's one arm.

"We'll see about that!" a husky voice said. Randy was pulled off of me, and thrown to the pavement. I scrambled up and ran over to grab Jane. We both stood wide eyed at the two passed out socs. I looked at my hero and almost passed out. It was Mason Hahn. We go to school together.

"Mason?!" I said dumbfounded.

He smiles his breathtaking smile, "The one and only!"

I roll my eyes at him, "Seriously?"

Wait am I flirting right now?

"Oh come on Jasmine, is that what I get for saving you?" he asked.

"Than-" Jane interrupts me.

"Thank you so much Mason!"

"No problem little lady," he laughs.

I smile at his kindness. His face then turns serious, "What are you two doing out so late?"

"We were walking to a friend's house, and then those socs jumped us," I explained.

"That's terrible. Here, let me give you guys a ride to your friend's house," he offered.

"No that's o-" I was interrupted by Jane once again.

"Sure!" I gave her a dirty look and we got in Mason's car. We had decided to just go to Jane's house and spend the night there.

On our way there I could see Mason taking peeks at me. I was starting to feel heat flow to my cheeks. Mason and I heard Jane babbling about how much of a hero Mason was, and I agreed with her. He really was a true hero.

When we got to Jane's house, we got out and said our goodbyes to Mason. Jane had already ran inside. I was about to go inside until I was topped by Mason's voice.

"Jasmine! I'll, um, I'll see you around."

I smiled, "Uh, yea! See you around."

Then he drove off. I felt butterflies in my stomach. It was the strangest feeling in the world. It was weird because I've never felt this feeling before. I don't know what's happening to me!

* * *

 **Ponyboy POV:**

Rape. It hurt just thinking about Nichole ever being raped. I've only known her for about seventeen hours now, and I have already had a connection with her. After Darry was finished asking her questions, he told her to go take a shower and freshen up. We were going to get her to eat something after she took a shower, but she feel asleep on the couch before we could give her anything.

Soda came in later that night surprised to see Nichole on the couch. He was about to ask a lot of questions, but we told him to save it for tomorrow. The last thing she needed was to wake up from Soda's interrogating.

I woke up this morning feeling pretty rough. I couldn't sleep well last night, because I was scared. I was scared thinking about what that girl has been through. I kept checking on her that night to make sure she didn't run away or was wide awake scared.

Looking over at Nichole and I see she's wearing one of my _Beatles_ t- shirts. I had to lend her some clothes because hers were all dirty. She looked so peaceful. I never noticed how pretty she was when she looked so happy and at peace. She had a small smile on her face, and now so did I.

I walk over to her and stroke her long brown hair. It's now soft and smooth now that it's clean. She shifts, making me back away ever so swiftly. I chuckle and go on to getting breakfast.

I try to be as quiet as possible, but then I dropped a pan on the floor, causing a loud _bang_. I cringe, " _Way to go Ponyboy!"_ I thought. I hear a gasp from the living room. I run in and see that Nichole is sitting up rubbing her head and groaning.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" I asked panicked. She looks up scared, but then chuckles.

"Yea, but it's okay. I needed to wake up anyways."

I sigh in relief, "That's good."

"So, did you sleep well?" she asked.

"Yea, but more importantly, did you sleep well?"

"Like a rock," she said.

I smile at this. I'm really relieved that she slept well. She really needed it.

"So how's your arm?" I asked sympathetically. She looked over and winced. Now I feel bad for even asking.

"It aches,"

I look down, "Oh."

"Don't be upset. It will get better soon," she says with a hopeful tone in her voice.

"I know. I just can't help but be angry for what that guy did that to you," I grumbled.

Why did I feel so protective towards this girl? Why did I feel these emotions towards her? I just met her. Just then Darry walked in.

"What are you two doing up this early?" he asked. I looked at the clock. I had no idea it was this early.

"It's only six o'clock?" I asked surprised.

"Yep," Darry replied.

"Ponyboy, don't tell me you woke Nichole up on purpose," he warned.

"He didn't! I was awake for about an hour before he came in," Nichole lied and came to my rescue. I mouthed _"Thank you!"_ and she smirked in response.

Two hours later, all the whole group came into the house like they normally did. They all asked questions about Nichole, which made me protect her from outrageous questions that Two-bit and Steve would ask. The only civil ones who asked questions were Jane and Jasmine. Which I appreciated deeply.

"Hi Nichole! I'm Jasmine and this is Jane," Jasmine said politely. She held out her hand and Nichole took it nervously.

"Hi Jasmine," she said quietly. I felt bad for everyone coming in so all at once. Darry, Soda, and I knew she wasn't ready.

"And I'm Jane!" Jane greeted loudly. She gave Nichole a tight shake of the hand. It made a little annoyed that everyone was bombarding her with so many questions. After we had told Soda about her, he became protective over her too.

"Alright, alright! Leave the poor girl alone, and come eat breakfast," Soda ordered. Everyone shuffled into the kitchen, and got breakfast. I got Nichole a plate for her. She said she could get her own plate, but I didn't want her to get it because of her arm.

"Thank you," she said as I handed her the plate.

"You're welcome," I replied. I sat down next to her.

"You know you can sit with your friends right? You don't have to sit next to me," she explained.

I Looked over at my friends and brothers in the kitchen, "Nah, I'd rather sit next to you," I smiled. She smiled back and began to eat her bacon and eggs.

"So where are you from anyways?" I asked.

She looked down at her plate, "I'm from Tennessee." That explained the accent.

"I've never been there," I said, " what's it like?"

"It's pretty nice. I liked going to downtown Knoxville. You could do a lot there," she explained.

"Do you miss it there?" I asked.

She lightly smiled, "Yea. Sometimes."

"Did you live there all your life?" I asked.

"Born and raised there," she replied, "I was raised by my grandmother after my parents died when I was five."

I feel bad for asking now, "I'm so sorry. My parents died too."

Our eyes met, "I'm so sorry Ponyboy. Have you been raised by Darry ever sense?" she asked.

I nodded. She hugged me for comfort. I blushed and hugged back. She fit right in my arms.

We both stopped hugging and went on with a much happier conversation. We talked about how our likes and dislikes. She made me laugh a lot and I made her laugh as well. After breakfast we all gathered around the T.V. and watched _Gone With the Wind._ This made me think of Johnny, which made me sad. Nichole seemed to notice.

"You okay?" she asked putting a hand on my shoulder.

I smiled sadly, "Yea I'm fine. This movie just brings back old memories, that's all."

She nodded, showing she understood and went back to watching the movie.

All of a sudden the front door flew open, and there stood a familiar face. We all stood and stared at the man. Darry walked forward.

"Dally?"

* * *

 **There you go! Chapter 2 is one! This took me a while, but I did it! Please like and review!:-)**


	3. The Past

**Chapter 3: The Past**

 **Dally POV:**

"Dally?" Darry asked me. All I could really do was look at him. I didn't have any words to say to him.

"Dally," Steve began, "where've you been?"

"Yea, you had us worried sick!" explained Soda.

"I-" I paused to swallow down the pain in my throat, "I had to get away."

Ponyboy spoke up, "Where did you go?"

I turned my focus to him, but my eyes shot right to the girl behind him, "I went out of town," I stated plainly still looking at the girl behind him.

I think Ponyboy noticed that I was staring at the girl, because he moved her closer to him in a protective manner.

"Who is that?" I asked.

"Her name's Nichole," an unfamiliar voice said. I turned my attention to where I heard the voice. There I saw a cute short girl. She looked like she was from a different country or something.

"And who are you?" I asked. The girl crossed her arms across her chest.

"My name's Jane."

"I'm gone for a little over a month, and you bring in two new greasers into the group!" I exclaimed.

"Chill out will ya," Two-Bit told me. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Look Dally, we understand that you're still upset about Johnny, but-" Darry said before I interrupted him.

"Don't even try to talk about Johnny!" I yelled in a fit of rage.

"I'm sorry Dally, but you can't just keep running away from the fact that Johnny's gone," Darry stated.

"Shut up Darry! Johnny was the only thing holding the group together, and you know it," I exclaimed.

"You're being selfish Dally. Can you just think about what Johnny would've wanted?" Darry paused to let me process his comment,"Johnny would've wanted us to move on being happy, not tearing ourselves apart just thinking about the fact he was dead!"

"You don't understand how much Johnny meant to me!"

"He meant a lot to all of us Dally!" Ponyboy yelled.

"Shut up Ponyboy! Johnny wouldn't be dead if it weren't for you!" I barked. I regretted every word I had said.

Ponyboy ran out the door without another word.

"Ponyboy wait!" the girl named Nichole yelled as she ran after him. Darry tried to stop her, but she was too fast.

After that everyone gave me a dirty look. This made me feel worse than I did before. Deep down inside I knew everyone was right. I was being selfish, but I couldn't help it. Johnny was the only thing I had close to family. I knew I was going to be lost without him. For the first time in a while, I'll admit something that I haven't admitted to myself sense I was a little kid. _I'm scared._

* * *

 **Ponyboy POV:**

I wasn't running away from home. I was running because I needed to get away from Dally. My heart dropped when he said that. Now I feel even worse than I did before. The guilt thriving within me was worse than ever. I didn't know where I was running, but after awhile I began to get tired. I finally decided that I needed to stop running and sit down.

So I sat at the top of a hill next to my high school. I started to think about everything that happened a little over a month ago. I thought about Johnny. I thought about Dally. I thought about how happy Dally was, but then I remembered how happy I was before Johnny killed that soc.

As I started to drift off into further depression, I heard a familiar voice call my name.

"Ponyboy!" it was Nichole.

I looked up at her. She was trying to catch her breath, "Man, I'm outta shape," she gasped, but then stopped and looked at my face, "Hey, what happened back there?"

I looked down at my knees, "It's just," I paused trying to think of something to say, "Dally's comment got to me."

She wrapped her arm around me, making my heart beat faster than it was before, "Look, I don't know what happened in the past. I don't know what you're going through right now, and I can't tell you that everything's going to be okay," she paused and brushed a tear off my cheek leaving the imprint of her thumb there on my face," but I can tell you that even though I've only known you for less than a day, I'll be here for you like you were for me."

I looked at her with wide eyes. This girl just said something to me that I'll never forget. She said something that I needed more than anything. She was the first person who actually said they were going to be there for me. She was the first person who didn't force anything out of me that I didn't want to talk about.

I embraced her in my arms and let tears roll down my face. I think we both knew that our relationship would be a very strong one, and that nothing could break it, but most importantly, we both knew that would always be there for each other.

We decided to sit and talk about happy things for awhile. I told her about the greasers, and she told me about her life in Tennessee. I even told her about how I liked to watch sunsets. She became interested in the subject.

"I've always liked watching them. For some reason they make me calm down," I stated.

"There are too many hills to see the sunset long enough in Tennessee," she chuckled, "You would't have enough time to enjoy it."

"Well, we should watch one sometime," I smiled.

"Yea, we should," she said starring at the flower in front of her.

"Ponyboy! Nichole! Where are you at!" yelled Darry's voice.

Nichole took my hand and helped me up. "We should probably go."

I smiled, "Okay."

We walked down the hill to see Darry walking by. He turned his head and saw us. "Oh thank God! Are you guys alright?"

I looked at Nichole smiling and she smiled back. Then I looked back to Darry, "Yea we're alright."

* * *

 **Jasmine POV:**

After Ponyboy and Nichole left, Darry had a stern talk with Dally before looking for them. Dally had seemed to have cooled down, given the fact that he was talking to Jane.

"So Jane, where did you come from?" asked Dally. He was giving Jane a very flirtatious look, and Jane seemed all for it. _"Barf!"_ I thought.

"I'm from Virginia," Jane looked over to me, "Jasmine is too."

"Oh, I remember you Jasmine," said Dally. I just nodded in response. He turned his attention back to Jane, "Would you like to go to the diner with me sometime?"

Jane blushed, "I'd love to!" Dally chuckled at her enthusiasm. Uh oh, this isn't good! Dally is going to hurt her, I know it!

I grabbed Jane's arm and pulled her out of her seat, "Can I talk to you for a minute?" I dragged her outside ignoring her protests.

"What was that all about?" Jane asked angrily pulling her arm away.

"You can't go out with him," I said sternly. She rolled her eyes.

"And why the hell not?"

"Because he's gonna hurt you!"

She laughed, "No he's not!"

"Jane," I began, "I know Dally! He will hurt you!"

"I know what I'm doing D.J.!" with that she ran back inside, leaving me on the porch by myself. I sighed. Why does she always have to go for the jerks?

I decided to take a walk. I tend to take a walk when I'm overloaded with thoughts. I thought about Jane and Dally. I thought about Ponyboy and Nichole. I hope they're okay. All of this was just to much for me. I couldn't take it! I couldn't go home. No one was going to make me feel better there.

I decided to just walk to wherever the road took me. The road seemed to take me by the football field. I could see "Tulsa Football Summer Camp" written on the sign on the gate door. I could see that the football players from my school were here for the summer. I watched all of them do suicides, and then I saw him. I saw Mason. He looked good in his football uniform. _"Knock it off Jasmine! Get a hold yourself!"_ I mentally slapped myself.

I decided to just keep walking, but then I heard someone call my name. It was Mason.

"Hey Jasmine! Wait up!" he yelled.

I spun around to face him, "Oh hey Mason, shouldn't you be in there practicing?" he smelled like sweat and cologne.

"It just ended," he paused, "What are you doing walking all by yourself?" he asked taking a swig of water from his water bottle.

"Just had to clear my mind, that's all," I told him honestly.

"You need a friend to walk with, because my friends are going to pick up girls right now, and I really don't want to join them," explained Mason.

"Oh, why not?" I asked. He looked at me and smiled.

"Because, I'd much rather walk with you, and besides, I might need to be there if some socs come by to attack you again." I gave him a playful punch on the shoulder.

Mason was neither a soc or a greaser. He was kind of in between. I wish life was like that for me. Don't get me wrong! I love the greasers as my own family, I just sometimes wish that life as a greaser was as easy as a life for the people in the middle. They rarely have any problems.

"So how's your summer been?" I asked.

"All I've done so far is play football," he said plainly.

I smiled, "You're really good, I could never throw like that."

He stopped walking,"Maybe I could teach you sometime!"

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to bother you!" I told him.

"You wouldn't be bothering me at all! It was my idea anyways," he explained.

"You're sure?" I asked him.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life," he said, making me laugh.

"Well okay then!" I felt like I was walking on air. He's actually talking to me!

"Where are we even walking anyways?" I asked him. He looked around.

"I have no idea. I thought you were leading the way," we both looked at each other and laughed.

"How about I teach you Saturday at one thirty?" he asked.

"That's fine with me," I said, "Well, I better go. My friends are probably wondering where I am."

"Okay I'll see you Saturday, and don't forget!" Mason laughed.

"I won't!" I yelled running back to the Curtis home. I couldn't wait for Saturday.

* * *

 **Ponyboy POV:**

Nichole, Darry, and I walked into the house to see everyone sitting around the TV watching Disney cartoons. When Dally saw me walk in, he stood up. I grabbed Nichole's hand, and she squeezed it giving me the signal that everything was going to be okay.

Dally spoke up, "Ponyboy, I'm sorry for what I said."

I looked down at my shoes, "It's okay Dally. I know you were just upset."

"I'll never say anything like that to you again. I promise," he said.

"Thanks Dal," I appreciated his apology.

"No problem kid," he grinned.

After apologizing to Dally, we were all at peace. Everyone went their separate ways for the day, leaving just me, Darry, Soda, and Nichole. Soda, Nichole, and I decided to watch some TV while Darry worked on dinner. When dinner was ready, all of us sat down at the kitchen table and ate what Darry had prepared for us. After a long and awkward silence, Darry finally spoke.

"We need to talk about your whole situation Nichole."

Nichole looked down at her plate, "Yea, I know."

"I just don't know if we can keep you here for long. You deserve to be happy and go to school, but I don't know if I can pay for you to go," he said.

"Yea,"she paused, "I know."

"The bad thing is is that you have no where to go," said Soda.

"I don't want you to leave, but I don't think I can take care of you," explained Darry. My heart was getting torn apart. I needed her here so bad.

"I know this seems like kind of a long shot, but what if I got a job?" asked Nichole.

"What do you mean?" Darry asked confused.

"There are plenty of jobs for kids my age. I'm willing to do it. I can even work two jobs if necessary. I know it sounds crazy, but it is possible! I'm almost fifteen!" she said with hope in her voice.

"I can't possibly let you do that. With the condition you're in,you'll never make it," Darry said.

"I'm stronger than I look Darry. I know it's not gonna be easy, but it's possible!" she said.

"Yea! It's the only way to keep her here!" Soda said with excitement.

"I don't know Nichole-" I interrupted Darry.

"Come on Darry I- I mean we need her!"

"Oh okay fine, but if you get hurt or sick in any way working two jobs, I'll skin ya. You understand?" asked Darry.

Nichole smiled, "Absolutely!' she got up and hugged Darry, making him smile.

"She's staying!" Soda cheered picking Nichole up and hugging her. When Soda was done hugging her. I brought her into my arms and held her protectively. I almost lost her, and now she's here to stay, and we couldn't be happier. I couldn't be happier.

* * *

 **There you guys go! Chapter 3 is done. Sorry for not writing in awhile, but I'm happy to be back! Make sure to read and review!:-)**


	4. The Football Practice

**Chapter 4: The Football Practice**

 **Jasmine POV:**

Saturday had finally come around and I was overcome by happiness. I haven't seen Mason sense a couple days ago. I could barely sleep at all last night because of how excited I was for today.

I approached the football field to see Mason holding a bag of footballs. I smiled at the sight of him. Making my way across the field, I see him wave at me once he sees me. I wave and smile back politely. Once I approached him I put my hands in my pockets.

"I'm so glad you came," chimed Mason. I smiled at him.

"I'm glad you invited me," I blushed.

There was a moment of silence between us. It was very awkward. Thank God Mason said something before it got too awkward.

"So should we get started?" he asked.

"You bet!"

Mason brought me over to the middle of the football field and taught me the basics of throwing. Me being a greaser and all made it hard to understand football. Greasers enjoyed music, cars, and fights. We never went to football games, or enjoyed the sports. Yea, Darry taught us some acrobatics, and Ponyboy was the star of the track team, but other than that we never really focused on sports during our free time.

Mason got behind me and put his hand on my hand that was holding the football. I was blushing so much.

"Now let the ball roll off you hand to make it spiral," Mason instructed, making my arm do the motion he was doing.

I nodded and he backed up. I took a small step forward and threw the ball the way he instructed. I watched it fly far away. I have to say that for my first time at this, I did one hell of job. I looked back at Mason. His eyes were wide and his lips were slightly apart.

"How'd I do?" I asked blushing. He looked at me with the same expression on his face.

"Wow, I've never seen a girl throw like that before," he said still dumbfounded.

I giggled, "Thanks."

He nodded in return. "Well, it looks like you got throwing down, so let's go on to practicing field goals."

We began by Major holding down the ball for me while I made a running start. I kicked and missed the ball making me fall. Major looked concerned for a second, but then I laughed. He started laughing too. After we were done laughing we tried it again. I ran and kicked the ball. It didn't go into the goal, but it went high enough.

"Nice try," Mason smiled.

"Thanks."

We tried a couple more times, and finally by the fifth time I made it!

"YES!" I screamed jumping up in the air. I stopped when I saw Mason grinning at me. "Sorry," I said shyly.

"No it's okay. You're cute when you're excited," he said putting a hand on my shoulder.

We stood there starring at each other. I was lost in his eyes until I saw a group of girls walk up. I recognized who they all were the most popular girls at my school. Those girls happened to be Annabell Charleston, Ofelia Stone, and worst of all Cleo Cunningham. I could hear Mason growl under his breath.

"Oh hey there Mason," Cleo smirked. "Who's your friend here?"

"This is Jasmine," he said proudly introducing me.

I waved awkwardly in return. Cleo looked at me in disgust.

"Why is she here alone with you?" asked Ofelia.

Mason looked like he was going to kill himself, "Because she's my friend and she's a lot more fun to hang around with than you guys."

Cleo was fuming. It was kinda funny to be completely honest. I snorted with laughter, which was followed by Annabell stepping up right in my face.

"What are you laughin' at _greaser_?"

"Wait, how do you know she's a greaser?" asked Cleo.

"Because she goes to our school Cleo," Ofelia sighed.

"She was in all of our classes too," Annabell said rubbing her temples.

"Really? I've never seen you around before. You're like invisible!" Cleo said in amazement.

I mouthed the word _Wow!_ to Mason, and he nodded in agreement. This girl had to be the most stereotypical blonde I have ever met. I honestly felt bad for her.

"Anyway, Mason," Cleo said licking her lips. "how would you like to get away from this no good greaser, and come to the drive-in with me later?" Cleo then whispered something in his ear that made his eyes grow large.

"Okay," he said in a serious tone. My heart felt like it was being torn apart.

I looked at him with tears in my eyes, "What?"

"I'm sorry Jas, but I've decided to go to the drive-in with Cleo," he said bitterly.

Once Cleo and Mason walked off Ofelia put her hands on my shoulders,"Oh sweetie, you don't think he actually likes you, do you?"

I pushed her away and ran too Jane's house. I needed to be with friend right now. All I know is that I won't be talking to Mason for a while.

* * *

 **Ponyboy POV:**

 _Three Months Later:_

It's the night before the first day back to school, and I was sitting on the porch watching the sunset. Sitting next to me was Nichole. She and I sat on the front porch to watch the sunset every evening. She seemed to enjoy it, and so did I.

Nichole had to work a lot over the summer. She worked one job as a waitress during the morning, and another stocking food at a local grocery store in the afternoon. The only time I got to see her was around five which was right before dinner. Now that's she's starting school, she only has to work her waitress job during weekend mornings. She didn't look so great by the end of the summer, but she still manged to keep a smile on her face. The smile I had come to love.

I, on the other hand, turned fifteen. I was going to be a Sophomore, and I felt bad that I wasn't going to be in Nichole's grade even though I was her age. She said that it was okay, and she understood. That's another thing I loved about her. She was very understanding.

Nichole actually got her own room in the tiny house. It was probably the smallest room in the whole house. Nichole didn't seem to mind though. She only used it for sleeping and reading.

Nichole seemed happier than when I'd first met her. She smiled a lot more. She had made life a lot easier for Darry, Soda, and I. She made us forget about how bad things were. She made me forget about how terrible I felt about Johnny. She made me feel better when I was sad. It's amazing how she showed up at such a perfect time.

"Are you excited about school tomorrow?" asked Nichole.

"No not really," I replied. She tilt her head to the side.

"Why?"

"Because I'm usually left out at school because I'm older and the fact I'm a greaser."

Nichole nodded showing she understood. "Are you nervous?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yea. I don't know anyone there except you."

"You know if you need anything, I'll be there right?"

"Yea," she smiled with hope.

We were interrupted by Darry opening the front door.

"Dinner's ready."

We both got up and walked inside. The summer was ending that night. I was definitely starting to get depressed now.

* * *

I woke up the next morning to the voice of Darry telling me to get up. I groaned and pulled myself up. I looked to my left to see that Soda had woken up because he was gone. I got out of my bed and grabbed black t-shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and my white converse along with socks.

After I took a shower, I walked into the kitchen to see Nichole and Soda engaging in conversation. I sat down at the table to see a plate of eggs and bacon sitting in front of me.

"Good Morning!" Nichole chirped. I smiled at this.

"Morning," I replied. Darry sat down at the table and looked straight at me.

"Now Ponyboy,"he began. "Make sure you show Nichole around the school, and Nichole if you have any questions just ask Pony okay?

Nichole and I nodded in agreement.

After breakfast, Nichole and I headed to school. When we got to the front door of the building I stopped her from walking in.

"Hey," I said putting my hands on her shoulders. "If you need me I'll be there for you."

She smiled at this. "I know, and I'll be there for you."

I grinned. "Always."

Finally, we walked in to see that there were tons of kids in the hallway. Everything was so loud. I looked over to see that Nichole looked as if she felt uneasy. I took her hand in mine, and I squeezed it. She tried to give me a reassuring look to show she was okay, but I knew she wasn't.

"They're sure are a lot of big kids here," she exclaimed.

"Yea, I know."

I decided on walking Nichole to her home room, because I didn't want her to get lost. When we got there I realized that she had some of the meanest girls there were in my old middle school in her class.

"Do you have your schedule?" I asked stopping her before she could go in.

"Yup!"

"Do you have your locker number?"

"Yes I do," Nichole chuckled.

"Alright," I said embracing her in my arms. I was upset when she pulled away. She fit so perfectly in my arms. "I'll see you at lunch."

"Okay," she replied disappearing into her classroom.

* * *

 **Jasmine's POV:**

Great! School's starting again! Fantastic!

I really don't wanna be here. I haven't talked to Mason sense that dreaded Football practice, and now I have to walk by him every day. This sucks. I feel like such a loser right now! I don't understand why I can't get over him.

As I walk into homeroom I see that Mason is there. I want to scream at the top of my lungs, but I know I can't. Why does the universe have to do this to me! I sit down at a seat on the opposite side of the room that Mason's on. I feel relaxed once I sit down until I hear a far to familiar voice.

"Jasmine!" Mason calls out. I cringe at him calling my name.

"What do _you_ want?" I hissed.

He looked down at his shoes and then back at me. "I just wanted to say I'm really sorry for what happened three months ago."

"And you decide to apologize to me now!" I shouted.

"I just thought you needed space!" he exclaimed.

"Why did you go with them anyways?" I asked changing the subject ever so slightly.

"I-I can't tell you."

"And why the hell not?" I asked in frustration.

"Because, well, because" he started to stammer. "It has nothing to do with you."

I stared at him in awe. "Well you made me feel like such a loser over the summer! I felt so neglected after that day."

It was at the point where everyone in the class was starring at us.

"Look I said I was sorry!" the bell rang immediately after he said that.

I got up grabbing my books. "Bye Mason," I said, and then walked off too my first class.

Why do guys have to be such idiots? All I know is that this school year is going to be a living hell.

* * *

When lunch time came around I was not looking forward to it. I wanted to avoid Mason as much as possible, but lunch was going to be tough. I walked through the cafeteria doors and immediately see the popular table. They all looked at me and laughed except for Mason.

I rolled my eyes and went to get my tray of food (or so they call it food). I saw Jane sitting at our usual table, and I walked over to sit down. All of a sudden something caught my foot and I fell face first into the tray of "food" I had in my hands. I wipe the gunk from my eyes to see Annabell and Ofelia laughing and Cleo smirking. I knew Cleo was the one who tripped me.

I was so filled with embarrassment that I ran out the cafeteria doors crying my eyes out. I locked myself in the school bathroom and cried. Why did I have to get involved with the popular guy? I'm a greaser for God's sake! I'm not supposed to associate with them.

All of a sudden I heard a knock on the bathroom door.

"Jasmine," called out a familiar voice. "It's me Mason. Open up."

"No!" I shouted. "Go away!"

"Jasmine please just open up!" he said gently, but loud enough so I could hear him through the door.

I decided to open the door. I don't know why I did it, but I cursed my self in the process. I was greeted by his soft brown eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"Sorry for what?" I asked. "It's not your fault they did this."

"No, I'm just sorry for everything." he said sincerely.

I sighed. Now that I think about it, I might have been a little too harsh on him. I think he deserved forgiveness afterr apologizing so many times. "It's alright."

"Really?"

"Yea. I'm sorry too, for being too stubborn," I apologized.

Mason chuckled. "It's alright."

We both smiled at each other. He hugged me. I was surprised at first, but I hugged back. Then and there I knew that Mason wasn't such a bad guy. All the drama was cleared up for us...or so I thought.

* * *

 **Yes OK! I know! I haven't updated in a while, and I'm sorry! So here you go! I hope you like it! R &R!:-)**


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